WHEREAS the New York City Department of Education mandated that school districts use one of three literacy curricula in grades kindergarten to five based on the Science of Reading, each of which incorporates a formal assessment component; and

WHEREAS many secondary school algebra teachers have been required to use the Illustrative Math curriculum, a new math curriculum with different terminology, processes, and pacing to which many students are unaccustomed and therefore students lack the necessary foundations; and

WHEREAS there is a place in our schools for curricula that are research-based and developmentally appropriate; and 

WHEREAS administrators in schools and central DOE have harped on "fidelity" to the curricula, regardless of the readiness of actual students or the recommendations of its educators; and

WHEREAS the diversity of our students within schools and across schools is what makes the New York City public schools great; and

WHEREAS teachers constantly make instructional decisions based on their own assessments of students’ educational experiences and learning styles; and

WHEREAS each teacher’s ability to implement instructional strategies and incorporate appropriate activities in their classrooms are integral parts of the professional responsibility of our members; and

WHEREAS one UFT member is worth at least 100 consultants; therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the UFT continue to support and defend a teacher's right to adapt the curriculum to benefit their students and to use teacher-created assessments based on their own knowledge of students’ work, which enables the teacher to evaluate both the skills of students and the efficacy of the curriculum and instruction; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT oppose the administrative and bureaucratic evaluation of "fidelity" or “integrity” or other related catchphrases to a curriculum based on prescriptive pacing calendars that do not recognize differences in students or schools; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT will advocate to establish trained and compensated teacher-led curriculum committees at the school and district levels to ensure curriculum development is teacher-driven and rooted in the state's culturally responsive framework; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT Teacher Center continue to assist and support teachers in all aspects of the Science of Reading, especially the assessment component; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT will continue to fight for the professional autonomy of our members and against administrators who value DOE vendors more than UFT members.